To Live
by Darkheart Wolf of Fire
Summary: Meet Hitsaru, Yora, and Seito, 3 young kids running from the reign of government for more than just 1 reason. Tricks and traps are set around every corner, and as their mother once said, there is no safe path, there are only other paths.


Alright, so this is my first actual fanfic so go easy on me! Anyways, hope ya like it. I'm using the places from all of her books(mainly the tortallan and the circle ones) I might put the characters from Tamora Pierces books into here, maybe not. It depends what you want, so tell me! If you have any ideas, e-mail me at

"The last thing she and Kenkei ever said to each other was 'We'll meet again someday! I promise!' She watched as he walked out the south gate, in her mind, reminding him to never make promises he couldn't keep."

"So, _did_ they ever see each other again?" asked an eager seven-year-old boy.

"Oh, shut up Seito! You're interrupting the story!" With that, his twelve-year-old sister, Yora, smacked him on the back of his head. Seito, pride hurt, tried smacking his sister back, only to have her keep doing dodge, and get another smack on the head.

"Hey, stop it you guys. If you that, I'm not going to finish the story." Hitsaru warned. Yora and Seito immediately stopped and the room went silent as they listened to their oldest sister.

Hitsaru, a sixteen-year-old skilled storyteller lived on the streets, telling stories to make money in order to pay for their food. Yora, Seito, and Hitsaru had been passed from relative to relative, each passing the three-some on within each full moon. Hitsaru's audience had already left, leaving her with five copper coins. Their parents had feared for the three children's safety and sent them to a relative five years ago. Hitsaru was already a skilled rider and archer, and carried Seito on her mare, Katana. Yora had sat behind Hitsaru, with a water flask tied to the stallion. Their parents turned out to be thieves who once stole from the Kings At first, Hitsaru had been mad at their secret, and ran away from home for 5 days, escaping reality. After they finally got off the streets, they became wealthy nobles, but that night, one of their old thief friends came and alerted them about danger. Only Hitsaru knows what truly happened to their parents, Yora and Seito simply believe that they could no long take care of them, and gave them away.

Hitsaru sighed. "Come on, let's finish packing! We do not have forever, it is almost dusk and we have yet to go! I'll tell you the rest of the story while we move." Hitsaru refilled her water flask and tied it to MidnightTale. With all the money they had made in the last town, they had bought two more horses so that Yora and Seito could ride. For Yora, a strawberry roan named Tenshi, meaning angel, and for Seito, and young black stallion named Kage, meaning shadow. They mounted up and rode for the gate, ready to leave and move on from the village of fief Summersea. The younger two did not truly know why they had to move continually, but Hitsaru had developed a warrior's sixth sense and a thieving nature before they had left. Her father had taught everything he knew about thieves to her and only her, she passed on many of the skills to Yora and Seito, from picking locks to catching daggers in midair to putting everything exactly back where they had been. She could feel that the new kings' men were still after her and her siblings.

They rode long and hard for two full days, with about a hours sleep each, through a rocky land, with hills sprouting in the most unexpected places, and trees growing in the oddest forms. Summer heat burned against their skin, and their horses tired easily. Taking a break, Hitsaru cross-tied Katana to a tall green tree, and kneeled down on a river bend, cupping her hands to get some water to drink. Watching for the hunter traps they set around rivers, Yora and Seito did the same, carefully tying their mounts close to the calm river so they themselves could take a drink.

"How much longer until we get to Mindelan?" Seito asked, gulping down the first bit of fresh water they had seen in two days.

"I believe about one to two days ride, but if we hurry and ride without breaks, perhaps we could be there by tomorrow midday." Hitsaru answer sleepily, they had just aroused form a quick nap, in which their horses had pulled them out of their blankets made of old clothes. Hitsaru filled her water flask again, and again, seeming to be lost in thought.

"OK, now I'm REALLY vexed!" announced a loud angered voice. The two siblings turned to see Yora glaring at Tenshi. Looking at the floor in front of the two, the could see a dropped water flask, water dripping from a rock next to it, her bags lying around, and all her things scattered on the floor. Hitsaru got up quietly and walked over to pick up the water flask, switching it with her own. Yora really hated filling water flasks, she had the tendency of getting things other than water into it, such as moss, or seaweed. Yora turned to direct her glare to someone on her left.

"Hitsaru! I can do it myself thank you very much! I do not need your help! Just because you're older than I am, doesn't mean I can't do all the things you do!" she exclaimed, her eyes becoming narrow slits.

Hitsaru looked calm, but her eyes glittered in quiet anger. "It's not very nice to glare at people who are only trying to help, sister." fueling Yora's hot temper. When she was younger, Kalasa had told Hitsaru, "One day, I will not be there to protect you," she said, "When that happens; you must know how to take care of your charges. Yora here will represent fire and grass, she will be calm, but it takes but a small spark to light her ablaze. She must have rest, a decent amount, mind, or else she will take it all out on the first criticism she can find later." Their mother had had an odd kind of magic that allowed her to see what people would be in the future, what their lives would be like, and their character.

Seito looked at both his sisters; his Kage reflected the nervousness Seito felt. Seeing a flame in Yora's eyes, Seito cautiously edged over to her, and hugged Yora, "Yora, please don't be mad at Hitsaru! She's only trying to help!" a desperate plea in his voice. He did not want to be in the middle, needing to choose whether to go with Yora, or Hitsaru. Yora looked at her brother, she sighed. The flame quietly retreated into her eyes, but every line of her body reflected her hurt pride. Hitsaru turned away from them both, and left. Yora scowled in her direction, "And mother left us in HER hands. Humph."

Hitsaru walked for at least half a mile before she stopped, birds circling her and squirrels surrounding her. Leaning down, she told the squirrels, "At least you don't mind if I try to help you." Sitting down on a hard rock, she took out a bag of grain from her pockets and poured some into her hand. The starlings and sparrows that had followed her sat on her hands and ate as much as their desire. For the squirrels, she explained to them that she had a bag of nuts she had saved from two weeks ago back with the others. Anxious for nuts, they raced back to camp. One of Hitsaru's sparrows hopped onto her lap, and cheeped, _very_ loudly. Hitsaru looked up sharply and loosened the daggers she kept strapped to her arms. Standing, she tensed and readied herself for the trouble the birds had warned her. The birds swirled around her, and then flew into trees to hide.

Emerging from the thickets, two male and female figures came into vision. Hitsaru instantly let down her guard, and went up to greet her sisters, ignoring the birds' cheeps of danger.

One mile away, Seito and Yora themselves tensed as they heard rustling from the bushes. They carefully stood up, Yora gathering her Fire, and Seito getting in a fighting stance behind Yora. Yora's eyes changed into a light shade of purple. Both were taught to defend themselves by Hitsaru, though each was better with their own weapon: Yora, with her magical Fire, Hitsaru with her knives, and Seito with hand-to-hand combat.

Emerging from the trees, Hitsaru came up to greet her sister and brother. Seito happily met her and hugged her, but Yora kept her distance. Something did not seem right about Hitsaru. Something that she knew only one with strong Fire could sense. _Ha,_ Yora thought triumphantly, _see sister? My powers DO have their uses! Oh sure, you guys have the fire too, but since mine is channeled through pure magic, mine is the best!_

"Hitsaru," Seito jumped into her outstretched arms, "where did you go?" Pulling back, he suddenly noticed that her knives were missing from her arms. "And what happened to your knives?"

"What knives?" Hitsaru had a blank look in her eyes, the one she had when she could not remember something. Yora noticed that the look seemed, extra blank this time, _Oh yeah, something is definitely up_, she thought.

"What happened to all our stuff?" Hitsaru looked questionably at Seito and Yora, confused why they had not bought the horses and stuff with them. Looking into their eyes, she could tell something was missing. _There's something going on here_, she decided. Nevertheless, in order to figure out what had happened, she decided to go with it, and pretend nothing was wrong.

"What stuff" Seito asked?

"Yeah, what stuff?" Yora echoed.

"How could you forget the horses? _That_ stuff." Hitsaru tried her best-shocked look. "Well anyways, that stuff doesn't matter. Come on let us get moving. If we are going to get to Lorkton by tomorrow, we had better hurry up! You guys go ahead, I'll follow." She said, hoping they would obey without question. Hitsaru had to talk to the birds, and ask them what the danger was, and see if they had seen anything in their flight. Yora and Seito obeyed, taking their time, almost seeming like robots.

Hitsaru quickly asked, '_Wing friends, what is wrong with my siblings?_' she asked, in her mental conversation mode.

'_There is danger in them! They are not who they seem. Everything else we may not tell you.' _

'_Why? How come,'_ Hitsaru demanded, feeling her temper rising, she fought to remain calm, and not blow up at the one piece of hope she had to find out what was going on.

'_Windtail forbid us. She warned that if we interfere with her plans, death would befall us all!'_ The birds answered, naming their patron goddess, and then flying off into the air.

Hitsaru hesitantly followed her relatives into the thickets.

From the top of a large pine tree, she watched as her creations led Hitsaru off toward the masters' house. Turning quietly, she saw her Hitsaru-clone lead Seito and Yora straight into her trap. Laughing menacingly, she threw a small handful of black ash into the air. As the ash fell and faded away, one could see that she was no longer there.

Kira: Ok, so there it is. That's what I've got so far and hey, it isn't THAT bad is it? Hitsaru: o.o;;

Kira: ok, don't answer thatstalks off stage as Yora steps on

Yora: r&r or else.

Seito: pounces on Yora AWW!! Don't be SOO serious!! Do it like this: r&r! glomps everyone who reviews and hands them a cookie

Kira: ....isn't that...umm....overdoing it a bit??

Hitsaru, Yora and Seito: glare

Kira: backs away hehehe...um ok...guys...don't hurt me? runs


End file.
